The DJ Mag Top 100 DJs Poll powered by 7UP has a new winner(s). Belgian brothers, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, the first duo to win the annual Poll, were announced at the Amsterdam Music Festival (AMF), before performing in front of tens of thousands of dance music fans.
Commenting on the award, Dimitri and Mike said: “Thank you so much! Since day one we’ve put every bit of energy and time we can into our music and our shows in order to give the fans the greatest experience any DJ could offer. So it’s such an incredible honor to receive this award knowing it’s from the guys that matter most to us.”
The pair moved from No.6 to No.2 in the 2014 DJ Mag Top 100 DJs Poll. During the past year their dominance in the festival scene has been unrivalled, playing Tomorrowland, EDC Las Vegas, Miami’s Ultra Music Festival, Creamfields, and Mysteryland. All 40,000 tickets for the launch of their ‘Bringing The Madness 3.0’ shows at Belgium’s Sportpaleis Antwerpen sold out in under 40 minutes; a feat previously only managed by U2, Madonna, Beyoncé, and Michael Jackson. The pair has also sold out 3 forthcoming UK shows, including London’s O2 Brixton Academy.
With their debut artist album in the making, the pair’s recent hit with Ummet Ozcan, ‘The Hum’, is joined by current single, ‘Higher Place’, featuring Grammy award winner Ne-Yo, the track that’s further shown their crossover status. It spent 6 weeks at the No.1 spot in the Belgian Charts, amassed views in excess of 7 million, and was one of the most worldwide Shazamed tracks at this year’s festivals.
For the third consecutive year, the Top 100 DJs Poll Awards powered by 7UP was held at the two-day Amsterdam Music Festival (AMF); returning for the second time to Amsterdam ArenA, the stadium for Ajax football club.
The Poll’s headline sponsor for 2015 is 7UP, who presented the Next UP Award powered by 7UP, awarded to this year’s highest new entry – at No.23 – KSHMR (pronounced ‘Kashmir’), the Californian producer previously part of hip-hop act the Cataracs. This year’s Poll welcomes 21 new entries, 3 re-entries, and 7 non-movers. Oliver Heldens is the Highest House DJ, up 22 places. Diplo moves into the Top 20, and also places for his Jack U project (with Skrillex).
KSHMR is named in partial homage to his Indian heritage, but somebody who is really opening up the Asian sub-continent is DJ Chetas from Mumbai, India. Mixing up Bollywood sounds with EDM, with nearly a million Facebook likes, he’s helping to open up this new market to the global dance scene.
Nearly 30% of the DJs in the Top 100 DJs Poll – 29, to be exact – are from Holland. The US isn’t too far behind, with a smattering also from Germany, Belgium, Sweden, France, Italy, and the UK. In addition, there are DJs from Russia, Australia, Switzerland, Ukraine, Central America, Malta, Slovenia, Israel, Portugal, Spain, India, Poland, Brazil, Egypt, Moldova and Canada.
Despite having no entrants in the Top 100 DJs Poll last year, drum & bass now has two — Andy C and Netsky. In fact, non-EDM DJs are having something of a revival in the Poll, perhaps reflecting that dance music fans from other styles are re-engaging with the Top 100. Disclosure is one of the highest new entries, while techno maestro Richie Hawtin is up 39 places to No.51. Carl Cox holds steady, Umek is up 5 and Flux Pavilion — who produced a humorous campaigning video this year — is a new entry at No.86.
The list of names outside the Top 100, makes for interesting reading too. Jamie Jones, Maceo Plex, Marco Carola, Sasha, Paul Kalkbrenner, Loco Dice, Flosstradamus and Fatboy Slim are all in the next 50 – despite not campaigning for votes whatsoever.
Top 100 DJs List of 2015
1. DIMITRI VEGAS & LIKE MIKE – NO.1 + HIGHEST DUO – UP 1
2. HARDWELL – DOWN 1
3. MARTIN GARRIX – UP 1
4. ARMIN VAN BUUREN – HIGHEST TRANCE – DOWN 1
5. TIESTO – NON- MOVER
6. DAVID GUETTA – UP 1
7. AVICII – DOWN 1
8. AFROJACK – UP 4
9. SKRILLEX – HIGHEST DUBSTEP – NON-MOVER
10. STEVE AOKI – NON-MOVER
11. CALVIN HARRIS – NON-MOVER
12. OLIVER HELDENS – HIGHEST HOUSE – UP 22
13. ALESSO – UP 2
14. W&W – UP 4
15. DASH BERLIN – DOWN 1
16. DVBBS – UP 4
17. AXWELL /\ INGROSSO – HIGHEST COLLABORATION – N/A
18. NICKY ROMERO – DOWN 10
19. BLASTERJAZZ – DOWN 6
20. DIPLO – UP 12
21. R3HAB – UP 2
22. ZEDD – NON-MOVER
23. KSHMR – HIGHEST NEW ENTRY – NEW ENTRY
24. NERVO – DOWN 3
25. DEADMAU5 – DOWN 9
26. DANNIC – UP 4
27. DYRO – NON MOVER
28. DEORRO – DOWN 9
29. ABOVE & BEYOND – DOWN 4
30. DON DIABLO – HIGHEST CLIMBER – UP 52
31. STEVE ANGELLO – DOWN 5
32. DJ SNAKE – HIGHEST TRAP – UP 33
33. KYGO – NEW ENTRY
34. YVES V –UP 21
35. FEDDE LE GRAND – NON MOVER
36. UMMET OZCAN – DOWN 5
37. SHOWTEK – DOWN 20
38. ANGERFIST – HIGHEST HARD – DOWN 1
39. BASSJACKERS – NEW ENTRY
40. ANDREW RAYEL – DOWN 16
41. PAUL VAN DYK – DOWN 3
42. ALY & FILA – DOWN 14
43. VINAI – UP 19
44. ALOK – NEW ENTRY
45. JACK U – NEW ENTRY
46. TOM SWOON – NEW ENTRY
47. SHOGUN – NEW ENTRY
48. HEADHUNTERZ – DOWN 8
49. COONE – DOWN 1
50. VICETONE – DOWN 14
51. RICHIE HAWTIN – HIGHEST TECHNO – UP 39
52. WOLFPACK – UP 32
53. BRENNAN HEART – DOWN 6
54. MAJOR LAZER – NEW ENTRY
55. PORTER ROBINSON – UP 2
56. MARKUS SCHULZ – DOWN 12
57. ERIC PRYDZ – UP 3
58. DIEGO MIRANDA – UP 12
59. DJ CHETAS – NEW ENTRY
60. DANNY AVILA – NEW ENTRY
61. KURA – DOWN 19
62. TCHAMI – NEW ENTRY
63. CARL COX – DOWN 4
64. LAIDBACK LUKE – DOWN 14
65. DISCLOSURE – NEW ENTRY
66. FIREBEATZ – DOWN 10
67. DILLON FRANCIS – DOWN 13
68. BORGORE – DOWN 27
69. DAFT PUNK – DOWN 26
70. UMEK – UP 5
71. TENISHIA – UP 2
72. RADICAL REDEMPTION – DOWN 8
73. FRONTLINER – DOWN 28
74. BORGEOUS – UP 13
75. NETSKY – HIGHEST DRUM & BASS – RE-ENTRY
76. YELLOW CLAW – NEW ENTRY
77. CHUCKIE – RE-ENTRY
78. WILL SPARKS – NEW ENTRY
79. DA TWEEKAZ – DOWN 13
80. QUINTINO – UP 6
81. KREWELLA – DOWN 48
82. ATB – DOWN 24
83. MAKJ – DOWN 20
84. KASKADE – DOWN 38
85. FERRY CORSTEN – UP 6
86. FLUX PAVILION – NEW ENTRY
87. ZATOX – DOWN 16
88. CARNAGE – DOWN 20
89. ROBIN SCHULZ – NEW ENTRY
90. SANDER VAN DOORN – DOWN 39
91. MARLO – NEW ENTRY
92. ANDY C – RE-ENTRY
93. QUENTIN MOSIMANN – DOWN 21
94. MISS K8 – NEW ENTRY
95. TUJAMO – NEW ENTRY
96. MIKE CANDYS – DOWN 11
97. SWANKY TUNES – NEW ENTRY
98. GALANTIS – NEW ENTRY
99. COSMIC GATE – DOWN 30
100. KNIFE PARTY – DOWN 47
Image credit – Amsterdam Music Festival
